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Public Media 2.0 Showcase
The 1000 Voices Archive promotes discussion about social issues through film
email discuss Posted by Katie Donnelly on Sep 1, 2009 at 5:06 PM
“[G]ood stories have always been the most powerful way to engage and shape public dialogue, especially around the values that we really believe in,” notes Creative Counsel director Phoebe Eng in a podcast discussion, about the 1000 Voices Archive. Launched by the Creative Counsel and The Fledgling Fund in May 2008, this curated collection of short personal narrative films addresses social issues in the United States. As the project’s site notes, it is “designed to tap into the power of stories to encourage community conversations through a wide range of advocacy tools. In this way, each of our storyteller videos becomes a ‘public dialogue engine.’ ”
The short (three to seven minute) documentaries address issues such as immigration, crime, and healthcare by focusing personal narratives that feature a variety of messengers of all ages and ethnicities, some speaking exclusively in Spanish. The result is an inspirational patchwork of American stories, packaged in a way that encourages users to action. Eng describes 1,000 Voices Archive as “StoryCorps meets MoveOn.”
The 1000 Voices Archive has a visually rich (although perhaps not exceptionally functional) design. An interactive map of the United States allows users to search for videos based on a “core value” (human rights, justice, sustainability, etc.); an issue (education, health, immigration, etc.); a “special series” (Asian American voices; rural voices; senior voices; etc.). Users can also search geographic region, but the number of videos from each region varies widely— for example, Texas currently only has two videos. Users are also prohibited from selecting more than one issue, value or location at a time, and this can make navigation cumbersome. The quality of the videos also varies a bit. Some videos are snippets of professional documentaries, while others are basic, talking head interviews. However, the quality of the stories usually makes up for any lack of technical sophistication.
Each short film is accompanied by what Eng calls “dialoging tools” (fact sheets, and links to news articles and other resources for learning more about the specific social issue). Each video contains instructions for using the videos to promote discussion in group settings. Features such as the “Inspire your Leaders” and “Tell the Media” tools allow users to send customized letters to their representatives and editorial boards of local media outlets. Each film also has its own “print shop” with templates for flyers, e-vites, posters, web banners, and stickers. In addition to these powerful communication engines, the 1000 Voices Archive contains a host of political advocacy tools, including voter registration tools, databases of officials and their voting records.
“Karen in Critical Condition” is part of 1000 Voices’ “Critical Condition” series, which follows Americans battling severe illnesses without the benefit of health insurance. In this video, Texas resident Karen is diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian cancer. The film follows Karen and her family as they navigate the health care system and deal with the financial and emotional stresses of terminal illness. The accompanying fact sheets include reports from Families USA, the Kaiser Family Foundation, the National Priorities Project, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The “Facilitation Guides” link to similar, more detailed reports (not screening discussion questions, as I had expected). Resources also include an educational lesson, additional materials designed specifically for community leaders, and a Kaiser Family Foundation slideshow. These resources, while useful, assume a level of base knowledge that could potentially exclude a large group of viewers. 1000 Voices’ most powerful features are its communication tools that allow users to take action by manipulating sample text to send to political leaders and media representatives. For example, in the case of “Karen in Critical Condition,” the sample email is entitled “Healthcare is Everybody’s Right.”
1000 Voices Archive works with a variety of partners to widen their audience and further discussion of social issues. In addition to production and distribution, they host screenings and promote advocacy work. For example, they teamed up with the Working Families Coalition in advocating for paid family leave. To do this, they identified states where such legislation was being discussed and filmed powerful examples from residents. (My favorite is the story of Vickie Underwood , who fought back when she was fired for taking time off to register her children for school.) Along with the Working Families Coalition, the 1,000 Voices Archive heavily promoted these stories and advocated for legislative change in targeted states. Their efforts helped pass legislation to protect working families in New Jersey and Wisconsin.
The 1000 Voices Archive inspires comparison to several other sites. I couldn’t help thinking of One Economy Corp’s pic.tv, which also addresses social issues and has a more efficient layout of resources that appeals to viewers of all levels. However, as I wrote in my coverage of pic.tv , that site is lacking the kind of powerful advocacy tools that the 1000 Voices Archive provides.
In addition to pic.tv, if you like 1,000 Voices Archive, there are other similar initiatives that might intrigue you. Check out the Media that Matters Film Festival, which features independent documentaries about social issues and useful resources, such as discussion guides and action guides. If you’d prefer to create your own educational tools (or you just like great personal profiles), see The New York Times’ “One in Eight Million.”
Want to learn more about Public Media 2.0? Read our white paper: Public Media 2.0: Dynamic, Engaged Publics.
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